Vulnerable
by jadetiger27
Summary: Side chapter: Ichigo is having a vulnerable moment, and Eris needs to be there for her best friend. Ichi/Eris fluff, nothing to do with the plot line, not that many spoilers. Just fluffy. one-shot, but worth it in my opinion.


ey! so i need longer to work on my chapter (sore from my weekend trip; tubing can be a very painful recreational activity), but i just had to get a side scene out, an ichi/eris fluff. my pairing had been decided for sure, and that is ichi/eris. this scene is also just for people who still believe in ichi/ruki, ichi/hime, or grimm/ichi (you know who you are). this doesn't really have anything to do with the plot line, i just had the idea and wanted to crank it out.

i'm not going to name my thing as ichigo & o.c. though, because quite often, when i see that, i don't want to read it.

BE PREPARED FOR ZE FLUFF!

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Vulnerable

Eris stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Ichigo's trip to Hell. He had just gotten back, and refused to explain to anyone what he had been doing there. Sure, she knew, but she could tell it was torturing everyone else not to know. That was partly why Rukia had made some excuse as to why she wasn't staying in Ichigo's closet that night. Everyone felt awkward around him.

The other part was because she was definitely crushing on him, and his newfound, drop-dead gorgeous features were enough to evoke a reaction from her, the kind of reaction Rukia didn't want him seeing. Personally, Eris found that Rukia was annoying when it came to Ichigo sometimes. Sure, she was a cool chick, but when it came to her crush on Ichigo, she was all, "I must not hold him back! I must not show emotion!" And she was falling all over him at the same time.

Eris could stand bits of that from Orihime, because she knew that Orihime had already admitted to herself that she was head over heels with the orange head. But Rukia kept _denying _it. To others, that wouldn't bother Eris. But Rukia was denying it to herself. It was frustrating.

It was kind of funny, really. No one had ever considered how Ichigo might look when he was all grown up. And even if they did, they certainly hadn't expected _this_. Well, Eris had, and maybe Isshin had too. Ichigo didn't share really _any_ physical traits with his father, which meant he got a lot from his mother, and she was the most beautiful woman anyone had ever seen. It wasn't surprising to Eris that Ichigo would be the same, but manly instead.

A small moan rattled her from her thoughts, and she glanced over. Ichigo was twisting in his bed, eyes shut tightly and his eyes moving back and forth beneath his eyelids. Eris recognized this immediately; he was having a nightmare. His reiatsu flared slightly. Eris crawled over, pulling herself off the floor enough to kneel by his bed.

She set her chin on the mattress, and reached forward, taking his hand. She leaned over a little more, to gently set her head against his, almost touching his forehead, but in a manner so that she could talk softly in his ear, calming him down. He squeezed her hand in his sleep, and she stroked his hair back. He was frightened. It had been a while since she'd seen him be afraid of something in his nightmare. Now, his nightmares were mostly just memories of fights that he'd rather not remember. Not fear, but pain and grief. Regrets.

"Hey baby." She whispered, close, so that her lips brushed his ear when she spoke. "I'm right here." She purred. "Nothing is going to hurt you. You don't have to be scared, not while I'm here." She kissed him lightly on the temple, and he turned to face her, slightly curled up and shivering. She automatically pulled the covers onto him, still gently stroking his hair.

He clasped her hand tightly, but his grip was loosening slightly. He muttered something she couldn't make out, and she let her head drop sleepily, gently nuzzling his neck. Eventually, she let herself settle with her head near his neck, her jaw on his collarbone.

"Eris..." Ichigo muttered, not really awake, but aware of her reiatsu.

"Shhh. Sleep. I'll stay right here with you." She assured him. She really didn't think he understood much of what she said, but it was possible he got the general gist of it. But she kept her voice low and soft, and she guessed that it was more him being comforted by the sound of her voice than anything else.

He gently tugged on her hand, and she realized that he wanted her closer. Asleep, he probably was only acting on instinct and just needed someone to hug. She crawled onto the bed, settling down next to him. His arms immediately went around her, and he buried his face where her shoulder and neck met. He was trembling slightly. He was definitely having an awful nightmare.

She made sure to keep his head in a comfortable position, to keep him asleep, and reached around to soothingly rub slow circles on his back with the other. Ichigo whimpered in his sleep, and her heart just went out to him. She pressed her face gently into his hair, murmuring assuring things. He shivered again, and she fixed the blankets on both of them.

"I've got you." Eris whispered. "You're safe. Don't worry. Relax." His grip on her tightened ever so slightly, like he was afraid that she was trying to leave. "I'm not going anywhere." His face was slightly tilted up, and he was adorable while he slept, his face flushed cutely. No, it wasn't quite adorable, and not quite cute. Sure, he was, but it was more than that. Vulnerable. Ichigo was rarely this vulnerable, and it was endearing. His face looked soft, instead of hard and scowling. She kissed him on the nose, and he curled against her more.

He'd held her a million times when she'd been scared. She'd comforted him from nightmares before, but he had never needed her like this, or refused to show it. Still, she would repay the favor again and again. Tonight, he needed her like this and she wasn't about to disappoint. Eris absent mindedly stroked his hair, her head tilted against his, both falling asleep.

She doubted he would wake up with her like this in the morning. His father said he needed rest and wasn't going to wake him up (Isshin probably also thought that Ichigo might punch him in the throat hard enough to crush his windpipe if he did), and she would for sure wake up before the orange head. He slept like the dead. Besides, she knew that he wouldn't want anyone to know how vulnerable he had been. So she wouldn't tell. But she would always be there for her strawberry.

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was editing out the thick paragraphs and nearly died from cuteness...anyone else feel that way?


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